About
The Sierra Club Foundation, headquartered in Oakland, California, calls itself "the foundation for a healthy planet." It promotes climate solutions, conservation, and movement building through a combination of strategic philanthropy and grassroots advocacy, and serves as the independent fiscal sponsor of the Sierra Club's charitable environmental programs. Established in 1960, the Foundation stewards tax-deductible charitable contributions and makes grants for public education and related charitable environmental work.
Mission
The Sierra Club Foundation promotes climate solutions, conservation, and movement building through a powerful combination of strategic philanthropy and grassroots advocacy. It is the independent fiscal sponsor of the Sierra Club's charitable environmental programs.
What they fund
- Solving the climate crisis: supporting a transition to a resource-efficient, clean energy economy, including fiscal sponsorship of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign since 2007.
- Securing lands protections: work for public lands and waters, healthy ecosystems, and clean air and water, through programs such as the National Energy Project, Conservation and Outdoors Project, and Environmental Law Program.
- Getting people outdoors: programs and policies that help more people explore, enjoy, and protect the planet across economic, cultural, and community lines.
- Building a movement: fostering a diverse, inclusive environmental movement that connects environmental health and social justice.
- Shifting Trillions: an initiative to help move capital from the fossil fuel economy toward a restorative, renewable energy economy, including mission-aligned investing and shareholder advocacy.
History
The Foundation was established in 1960, when Sierra Club leaders — concerned that the Club's growing legislative and lobbying activity could jeopardize the tax-deductibility of contributions — formed a separate organization "for the purposes of furthering the principles of the Sierra Club." After the Sierra Club ran newspaper ads in 1966 opposing proposed dams in the Grand Canyon, the IRS ultimately ruled that the Club could no longer assure donors tax-deductibility, and the Sierra Club Foundation became the Sierra Club's fiscal sponsor for tax-deductible charitable giving. Charitable funding from the Foundation has since supported campaigns from the protection of Alaska's national-interest lands to national monument designations and the Beyond Coal campaign, which announced the retirement of over 300 U.S. coal plants between 2010 and 2020.
Financials
Per ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, for the fiscal year ending June 2025 the Sierra Club Foundation reported total revenue of $31,947,339, total expenses of $53,130,891, and net assets of $164,601,188. The Foundation operates a donor-advised fund program. On its website, the Foundation states that in 2023 it earned its fourteenth consecutive four-star rating from Charity Navigator, holds an A- rating from CharityWatch, and spends nearly 87 cents of every dollar directly on environmental programs.
Governance
An independent, volunteer Board of Directors, supported by professional staff, governs the Sierra Club Foundation. Per its most recent ProPublica filing, Dan Chu serves as Executive Director and Robin Mann as Board Chair.
